PETA Statement: New Iditarod Death Makes Vet Records Critical

For Immediate Release:
March 15, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in response to the death of Blonde—a dog owned by musher Katherine Keith, whose dog Flash died in last year’s race—during the 2018 Iditarod:

Blonde was one of 330 dogs pulled out of the Iditarod during the race so far, likely because of exhaustion, illness, or injury, and his death from a lung problem pinpoints precisely why this race must end. PETA is calling for the release of the veterinary records of every dog removed from this year’s race so that a true picture of the enormous suffering that these animals endure can emerge. Mushers are using and abusing dogs and then leaving broken ones behind in their pursuit of the almighty purse.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about the campaign against the Iditarod is available on PETA’s website.